:00:00. > :00:08.This is BBC World News Today with me, Kasia Madera.
:00:09. > :00:10.Vital supplies including food and water are air-dropped to
:00:11. > :00:13.Yazidis stranded on a mountain in northern Iraq - but thousands
:00:14. > :00:21.The move comes as President Obama offers his support to the nations
:00:22. > :00:24.new leader, but will these pledges and foreign aid be enough for the
:00:25. > :00:40.Described as a lightning storm of comic genius - he was loved
:00:41. > :00:43.Actor Robin Williams dies in California at the age of 63.
:00:44. > :00:48.World health officials give the go-ahead for the use of experimental
:00:49. > :00:51.drugs in an effort to battle the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
:00:52. > :00:54.They were the women who worked the land during the two world wars,
:00:55. > :01:10.now the land girls are being remembered through art.
:01:11. > :01:18.The crisis in Iraq continues in what?s now being called
:01:19. > :01:24.Tens of thousands of people, mainly minority Yazidis are still
:01:25. > :01:28.trapped on Mount Sinjar by Islamic State militants.
:01:29. > :01:34.Helicopters are continuing to drop much needed supplies -
:01:35. > :01:37.those stranded are so desperate to be rescued, they've clung to
:01:38. > :01:41.British jets have dropped a second round of aid.
:01:42. > :01:44.So far they have delivered more than 15,000 litres of water.
:01:45. > :01:52.The US says its troops have dropped 85,000 meals.
:01:53. > :01:54.As fierce fighting continues on the ground, some Yazidis have managed
:01:55. > :01:57.to flee Mount Sinjar, and cross into Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan.
:01:58. > :02:08.At last, the men and women from the mountain reach sanctuary of a sort.
:02:09. > :02:11.Yazidi families are streaming over the borders with other
:02:12. > :02:18.Carrying their children and little else,
:02:19. > :02:29.The memory of the day that fighters from the Islamic state attacked
:02:30. > :02:32.their villages is hard to bear, even though this woman and her six
:02:33. > :02:40.We have tried for 15 years to make a home for us and the minute ISIS
:02:41. > :02:44.comes and destroys everything, they killed my sister.
:02:45. > :02:51.And we left them because we could not help them.
:02:52. > :03:03.They are running from ISIS and they are in the mountains now.
:03:04. > :03:08.For the youngest, finally a chance to sleep without fear.
:03:09. > :03:15.And for the oldest, simple relief at this chance to sit
:03:16. > :03:22.Somehow, these families have survived not only the massacre
:03:23. > :03:24.by Islamist militants but the next enemies waiting
:03:25. > :03:33.The families here came down from the mountain and they have walked
:03:34. > :03:37.for days to get here through Syria and out to the relative safety of
:03:38. > :03:40.Kurdistan , and as last, they are able to get food and water after
:03:41. > :03:43.days without, but the aid agencies say that while they are doing their
:03:44. > :03:53.For now, they are handing out the basics while well-wishers
:03:54. > :04:00.from local towns have brought clean clothes and food.
:04:01. > :04:02.This man and his family of nine have walked
:04:03. > :04:07.They have just heard that there are vehicles ahead
:04:08. > :04:12.which can take them to a derelict loading in the nearest town.
:04:13. > :04:22.Others have no idea of where they are going next.
:04:23. > :04:24.All they know is that they cannot go back.
:04:25. > :04:27.The village is now dominated by the Islamic State ,
:04:28. > :04:30.Their fate at the mercy of the shifting realities
:04:31. > :04:36.Aid missions to reach those still trapped
:04:37. > :04:41.Just a short time ago we had reports that an aid helicopter crashed
:04:42. > :04:49.The commander of the helicopter has been killed.
:04:50. > :04:54.One of two New York Times journalists on board was injured.
:04:55. > :04:57.As was Iraqi member of Parliament Vian Dakhil, who I interviewed here
:04:58. > :05:03.She spoke about the suffering of the Yazidis and the kidnapping
:05:04. > :05:06.She was the one who made an emotional appeal to the
:05:07. > :05:31.Let's cross to California for the latest information on the death of
:05:32. > :05:37.Robin Williams. I have prepared statements, and I ask that you hold
:05:38. > :05:54.questions until the end of this statement. My last name is spelt
:05:55. > :06:03.BOYD. On August the 11th, Marin County communications received a 911
:06:04. > :06:12.telephone call that a male adult was not breathing. The caller was
:06:13. > :06:17.distraught, and indicated at that time that it was an apparent suicide
:06:18. > :06:26.due to a hanging, and rigor mortis had set in. The Sheriff's Office
:06:27. > :06:34.were dispatched to the incidents with emergency personnel arriving on
:06:35. > :06:40.scene at 12pm. The male subjects was pronounced deceased just afterwards,
:06:41. > :06:48.and has been identified as Robin Williams, a 63-year-old resident.
:06:49. > :06:52.Preliminary information developed during the investigation has
:06:53. > :06:58.revealed that Mr Williams had been seeking treatment for depression. He
:06:59. > :07:05.was last seen alive by his wife at approximately 10:30pm on August the
:07:06. > :07:10.10th, when she retired for the evening in a room in the home. It is
:07:11. > :07:15.unknown at this time when Mr Williams retired for the evening to
:07:16. > :07:23.his bedroom. At approximately 10:30am, on August the 11th, Mr
:07:24. > :07:30.Williams's wife left the home, believing he was still asleep. The
:07:31. > :07:35.personal assistant became concerned at 11:45am when he failed to respond
:07:36. > :07:43.to knocks on his bedroom door. At that time, the personal assistant
:07:44. > :07:47.was able to gain access to the bedroom and found him clothed, in a
:07:48. > :07:53.seated position, unresponsive, with a belt secured around his neck and
:07:54. > :07:59.the other end wedged between a closet door and a frame. His right
:08:00. > :08:05.shoulder was touching the door, with his body perpendicular to the door
:08:06. > :08:14.and slightly suspended. Mr Williams was cool to the touch with rigor
:08:15. > :08:21.mortis present in his body. The inside of his left wrist had some
:08:22. > :08:26.cuts, and a pocket knife with a blade was located in proximity to Mr
:08:27. > :08:37.Williams. The knife was examined and a dry read material was identified
:08:38. > :08:46.on the blade of the knife. It is unknown if the material is his lad
:08:47. > :08:53.but scientific testing will be done. -- his blood. He was transported
:08:54. > :08:58.from the scene to the morgue by the coroner, pending a forensic
:08:59. > :09:09.examination which was conducted this morning prior to this press
:09:10. > :09:11.conference. The forensic examination did not reveal any injuries
:09:12. > :09:18.indicating Mr Williams had been in a struggle or a physical altercation
:09:19. > :09:21.prior to him being located. The preliminary results of the
:09:22. > :09:30.investigation revealed supporting physical signs that Mr Williams died
:09:31. > :09:35.due to asphyxia because of hanging. Toxicology tests will be done to
:09:36. > :09:41.determine if he had any chemicals in his system at the time of death.
:09:42. > :09:47.Toxicology results will be available... Excuse me, will not be
:09:48. > :09:53.available for two to six weeks while testing is being performed. Please
:09:54. > :09:56.note that this is an active investigation into the circumstances
:09:57. > :10:02.surrounding his death. Work is not complete at this time. Final cause
:10:03. > :10:05.and manner of his death will not be certified until the conclusion of
:10:06. > :10:11.the investigation which is several weeks away. When the investigation
:10:12. > :10:16.is concluded and the final results are available, a press conference
:10:17. > :10:20.will be scheduled at that time. Additionally, I have received
:10:21. > :10:27.numerous requests for copies of 911 and this batch recordings. Please
:10:28. > :10:36.note that each request will be handled in accordance with public
:10:37. > :10:41.record guidelines and responses will be provided within ten days. Media
:10:42. > :10:55.enquiries should be directed to me. This should be done on e-mail. I
:10:56. > :10:59.will respond to these enquiries, time permitting, as I receive them.
:11:00. > :11:03.Please keep in mind that the coroner is also investigating active cases
:11:04. > :11:09.from other residents in this community. That includes my written
:11:10. > :11:15.statement at this time and I will open up to take a few questions,
:11:16. > :11:18.understanding that this is an active investigation and some information
:11:19. > :11:28.will be withheld until the final press conference in several weeks.
:11:29. > :11:36.Do you have a timeline about when this incident took place? Rigor
:11:37. > :11:40.mortis is a sign that will be evaluated to try and correlate a
:11:41. > :11:46.time period that the death may have occurred. Understand that there is
:11:47. > :11:52.no perfect environments when you are talking about the perfect
:11:53. > :11:56.environments so we will use known facts to surmise when the death
:11:57. > :12:04.occurred. That was in attendance Keith Boyd, speaking from outside
:12:05. > :12:11.the Sheriff Office. He is giving Saddam details about the death of
:12:12. > :12:18.Robin Williams -- sad details. One of the main points he made was that
:12:19. > :12:24.this was death by asphyxiation. He attached a belt around his neck and
:12:25. > :12:30.that help was attached to a door. The full investigation will not be
:12:31. > :12:34.confirmed until they get the toxicology results in around six
:12:35. > :12:39.weeks' time, and that is when we expect another press conference to
:12:40. > :12:45.give more details. There was one question from one of the
:12:46. > :12:53.journalist, asking about rigor mortis and whether a timeline had
:12:54. > :12:56.been apparent. The wife of Robin Williams had gone to bed without
:12:57. > :13:01.seeing Robin Williams that evening, and then she had not seen him the
:13:02. > :13:09.next morning, believing that he was still asleep. It was the actor's
:13:10. > :13:13.assistant who had tried to wake him, knocked on the door, and got
:13:14. > :13:20.concerned when he did not answer. She got access to the actor's room.
:13:21. > :13:25.Some very unpleasant details. There was information about some cut to
:13:26. > :13:33.the actor's left wrist, and there was a pocket knife, and a dry
:13:34. > :13:48.substance which could have been blood. It is unknown whether that is
:13:49. > :13:54.his life. Doctor Joseph Cohen, who studied the body afterwards, was
:13:55. > :14:05.giving details that there was some cuts to the rest. -- wrist. Very sad
:14:06. > :14:10.details of somebody who was revered in the acting world. Let's focus on
:14:11. > :14:14.some of the happier aspects of his life because we are joined by Chris
:14:15. > :14:21.Hewett from Empire magazine. Some sad details there. It goes to show
:14:22. > :14:29.how low Robin Williams was feeling at the time. It is a complete
:14:30. > :14:35.shock, a huge loss to the comedy world and acting world. It came out
:14:36. > :14:40.of nowhere. It is extraordinary. This is a man who was one of the
:14:41. > :14:43.funniest people of his generation, if not the funniest. I was thinking
:14:44. > :14:49.about how inspirational he was two other mediums. Twitter was filled up
:14:50. > :14:56.with the likes of Billy Crystal and Steve Martin. Other comedians as
:14:57. > :15:01.well have paid tribute. I was thinking about how influential he
:15:02. > :15:07.has been, and I think he was one of a kind. Even Monty Python, that was
:15:08. > :15:11.influential. Robin Williams was a motormouth, he had incredible
:15:12. > :15:23.energy, he could do impressions. His mind works faster than anybody's
:15:24. > :15:32.else. It is amazing. He was very influential, even in animations,
:15:33. > :15:41.like Aladdin. What he did in that movie was astonishing. He was a
:15:42. > :15:46.brilliant actor in his own right. He was nominated for four Academy
:15:47. > :15:51.Awards. He was phenomenal. He had a depth and shade as well. Real
:15:52. > :15:57.sensitivity and the real soul as well. We saw that through many
:15:58. > :16:04.films, for example, dead poets Society. Yes, an amazing film which
:16:05. > :16:13.will definitely tug at the heartstrings. And also he injected
:16:14. > :16:16.it with humour. We had the serious and comedic side. We're seeing
:16:17. > :16:28.images from good morning Vietnam. Amazing. And so good in family films
:16:29. > :16:37.as well. He voiced performances as well, for example in the Happy Feet
:16:38. > :16:48.movies. Not to forget his stand-up. He was brilliant. Of course. Along
:16:49. > :16:52.with television programmes. Thank you very much for sharing some of
:16:53. > :17:00.the happier memories of Robin Williams, who has died, by taking
:17:01. > :17:08.his own life in what we have just heard was by hanging at his home.
:17:09. > :17:12.Some of the difficult details we heard from the press conference. We
:17:13. > :17:19.will continue to monitor that and we expect lots of reaction on that. But
:17:20. > :17:24.we will return now to our main story. The plight of the disease.
:17:25. > :17:32.Tens of thousands are still trapped on Mount Sinjar. -- the plight of
:17:33. > :17:36.the Yazidi people. These are difficult circumstances for these
:17:37. > :17:43.people. We had a helicopter crashed just today. It contained a New York
:17:44. > :17:49.journalist and a prominent Yazidi MP. Yes. It highlights the
:17:50. > :18:01.difficulties faced by those trapped on the mountain and those trying to
:18:02. > :18:06.deliver aid. And to the Yazidi people in particular. What is
:18:07. > :18:12.happening in terms of fighting on the ground? What is happening in
:18:13. > :18:17.terms of the Islamic State forces moving back in response to air
:18:18. > :18:22.raids? What we have seen is that the fighting has moved to other parts of
:18:23. > :18:28.the country. Of course, control has been regained of two towns which
:18:29. > :18:34.were lost previously to Islamic State. They were aided by American
:18:35. > :18:41.intervention. The American army is acting almost like an error force.
:18:42. > :18:45.It is giving air cover to Kurdish fighters to allow them to catch
:18:46. > :18:49.their breath. But fighting is also happening in other parts of Iraq,
:18:50. > :18:52.between the Islamic State fighters and the Iraqi army. Thank you for
:18:53. > :18:58.that. United Nations medical experts have
:18:59. > :19:00.cleared the use of experimental drugs on Ebola victims. The World
:19:01. > :19:03.Health Organisation said it was ethical - given the scale of the
:19:04. > :19:06.outbreak - to give patients drugs which have not yet been widely
:19:07. > :19:09.tested on humans. So far the disease has been confirmed in Guinea,
:19:10. > :19:12.Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. More than 1,000 people are believed
:19:13. > :19:15.to have died. And at least 1,800 others have been infected. A Spanish
:19:16. > :19:18.priest who was working in Liberia has become one of the latest to be
:19:19. > :19:21.killed by the virus. our medical correspondent, Fergus
:19:22. > :19:40.Walsh, reports. This is Miguel Pajares, a Catholic
:19:41. > :19:44.missionary. He spent his life among the sick and poor and contracted a
:19:45. > :19:50.bowler in Liberia. He was flown home to Madrid last week amid the
:19:51. > :19:54.tightest while security, but died this morning. His body was swiftly
:19:55. > :19:57.cremated to minimise the chance of a bolus spreading. He is one of just
:19:58. > :20:07.three people treated with an experimental drug. The others were
:20:08. > :20:11.an American aid worker and another. In an unusual move, global health
:20:12. > :20:18.experts said it was ethical to offer untested drugs to a bowler patients.
:20:19. > :20:33.In the past ten years, we have researched into a bowler
:20:34. > :20:37.treatments... These support our efforts to control the disease. This
:20:38. > :20:47.is the only experimental drug which has been used so far. It is created
:20:48. > :20:54.by exposing mice to Ebola. But there are just 12 doses, all allocated or
:20:55. > :20:58.used. There will be no more until the end of the year. Another
:20:59. > :21:03.potential treatment is to use serum from patients who have recovered
:21:04. > :21:07.from Ebola. There are also anti-viral drugs. As for prevention,
:21:08. > :21:11.there are two vaccines in developing. But all of these have
:21:12. > :21:16.only been tested in monkeys. We have to make sure there is no consent
:21:17. > :21:18.from the patient. If the patient is conscience and able to give it,
:21:19. > :21:28.otherwise from the family or community. We also must ensure the
:21:29. > :21:32.patient is properly dealt with and data is collected so that we retain
:21:33. > :21:37.information on whether these treatments work. Global health
:21:38. > :21:43.officials said there had been limited research into the Mac to
:21:44. > :21:49.drugs. The virus can overrun the immune system, but intravenous
:21:50. > :21:54.fluids, oxygen, modern emergency medicine can help. It will not be
:21:55. > :21:58.experimental drugs, but better health care. And the early isolation
:21:59. > :21:59.of infected patients. That is what will bring this nightmare epidemic
:22:00. > :22:02.to an end. Dr Ben Neuman is a virologist from
:22:03. > :22:17.the University of Reading. He joins Let's focus on this new drug. With
:22:18. > :22:24.such limited scope, how should they be used and on who? This is
:22:25. > :22:30.something the medics will need to decide. It's not so important who
:22:31. > :22:36.gets these. Anyone who gets these will be very lucky. If I had the
:22:37. > :22:39.disease I would want it. It is likely to be safe because they are
:22:40. > :22:50.antibodies that are used in sick people already but we will not know
:22:51. > :23:00.till this is all over. What about the early testing stage in humans of
:23:01. > :23:06.another drug? Yes. These are different drugs. The first one is
:23:07. > :23:12.it's onto part of the virus and then the cell can destroy it. This second
:23:13. > :23:18.drug is more experimental because there were some adverse effects in
:23:19. > :23:22.initial trials. We don't know whether it will work. There is a
:23:23. > :23:26.great work it could cause harm. In this situation, with this disease
:23:27. > :23:34.being a serious as it is, it is a risk worth taking. When it comes to
:23:35. > :23:40.vaccines I believe the latest dates are -- the United States are fast
:23:41. > :23:42.tracking them. Even to fast-track a vaccine it could take months to
:23:43. > :23:53.develop a full immunity responds. You need to check what kind of
:23:54. > :23:56.immune response curves. The virus may burn itself out before we have a
:23:57. > :24:02.vaccine. But it could help with the next outbreak. For those who are in
:24:03. > :24:14.danger of being affected by this, what is there hope? It will give
:24:15. > :24:19.people hope to know that there is something out there. We are hoping
:24:20. > :24:23.this outbreak will be over by Christmas. But the outbreak should
:24:24. > :24:29.have been over months ago and this has dragged on. We also hope it will
:24:30. > :24:34.be over soon. Thank you. A Ukrainian security official says a
:24:35. > :24:36.humanitarian convoy being dispatched to eastern Ukraine by Russia will
:24:37. > :24:39.not be admitted into the country. A convoy of Russian trucks are heading
:24:40. > :24:42.for Ukraine after agreement was reached on an international
:24:43. > :24:44.humanitarian relief mission. But the Red Cross, which is due to
:24:45. > :24:47.coordinate the operation, said it had no information on what the
:24:48. > :24:53.trucks were carrying. Some cities, such as Luhansk, for
:24:54. > :24:56.example have been cut off for any supplies for over the past month. We
:24:57. > :24:59.know that the situation here is dire, in terms of supplies and
:25:00. > :25:02.medical supplies. Access to water and electricity, everything. Of
:25:03. > :25:08.course, we have heard of these Russian initiatives and have
:25:09. > :25:12.realised that this was an agreement somewhere between the Russian and
:25:13. > :25:18.Ukrainian authorities - that such a convoy should be a possibility,
:25:19. > :25:24.provided that the IRC can be on board. We have said we could be on
:25:25. > :25:28.board but we need clarification first, to implement such an
:25:29. > :25:31.operation in this kind of environment. We need serious
:25:32. > :25:37.security guarantees, for example, and direct contact with all the
:25:38. > :25:41.parties. We don't have that yet. We also need to know what precisely is
:25:42. > :25:45.in the convoy, the size of it, the various materials that will be
:25:46. > :25:51.transported. We have heard from the Russian authorities that this convoy
:25:52. > :25:56.consists of 280 trucks, so it is massive, and has left Moscow this
:25:57. > :26:02.morning. It is supposed to be at the agreed point of the border tonight.
:26:03. > :26:06.We are in constant contact with both the Ukrainian and Russian
:26:07. > :26:11.authorities on this. They know what our requirements are and we are
:26:12. > :26:27.waiting for their feedback. The Red Ross expressing concern
:26:28. > :26:33.about that convoy. Just to go back to our breaking news: Robin Williams
:26:34. > :26:38.has died due to suicide. We were given graphic details of how the
:26:39. > :26:45.actor had attached a belt around his neck. A lot more detail on our
:26:46. > :27:00.website. For now, goodbye. Hello. We have the remnants of
:27:01. > :27:06.Hurricane Bertha sitting to the north of the British Isles, keeping
:27:07. > :27:11.things breezy and showery. However, it will move further eastwards with
:27:12. > :27:19.some quieter weather to come. Tomorrow, the showers will be fewer
:27:20. > :27:20.and further between. Still a breezy day for the